22 messages,
Last post on Jul 02, 2012 at 7:03 AM
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Vans & Minivans Forum.
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Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, Car Buying, Car Comparisons, Van
#3 of 22 Re: Sienna XLE vs Honda EXL [ldan]
by samnoe
Dec 14, 2011 (11:18 am)
"...Odyssey looked better on accessories and overall design..."
OMG How can you say that. IMO the Sienna is just a beauty of a van while the Odyssey/Aztek is the ugliest design EVER.!
I guess to each his/her own...
#4 of 22 Re: Sienna XLE vs Honda EXL [samnoe]
by kleiner
Dec 14, 2011 (12:30 pm)
WOW!!! The Sienna is the UGLIEST van I've ever seen! It looks HORRIBLE.
#5 of 22 Re: Sienna XLE vs Honda EXL [kleiner]
by isellhondas
Dec 16, 2011 (1:22 pm)
Looks are subjective. What is ugly to one person is fine for the masses.
For crying out loud...it's a MINIVAN! Not an object of beauty!
Both are great cars. Personally, I don't like the mushy typical Toyota ride but, again, some may find the Honda to be a bit firm for their liking.
#6 of 22 Re: 2011/2012 Odyssey EXL Vs Sienna XLE [quizzer]
by patnic
Jan 03, 2012 (7:49 pm)
I drove both, I have to say we haven't purchased yet, but if I had to choose from those two, I would go with the Sienna.
I actually like the look of the Odyssey better, but 1) we have a 2003 Ody with a new transmission at 83K, and I am waiting for it to bust again. 2) the one thing that drives me crazy about my current Ody and the new Ody is the internal noise. It is so loud. Toyota is so much quieter.
If my van broke down today, I would actually go with the Nissan Quest. The interior is great.
#7 of 22 Odyssey over Sienna, primarily for price
by thegamper
Jan 09, 2012 (10:23 am)
I just recently picked up a 2011 Odyssey and wanted to share my impression of it and its competitors in general. I was determined initially to get the Quest. I love the quirky styling, interior is fantastic. Was a bit put off by the cargo capacity in that seats cannot be removed or folded under the floor, but it seemed a non issue as it is a rare occasion where I would need such a configuration. My wife drove it though and didnt like it. She preferred the Sienna as her first choice and we both preferred the Odyssey as our second choice. We were both put off by the Chrysler's exertior styling and a few nit picky things that we found seemed cheap about it. The Sienna is probably better looking of all, but lets face it, its a minivan, and the best looking minivan is still not stylish at all compared to a traditional sedan, coupe. So who cares, we are buying for utility first and formost, having a better looking minivan than competitors is really just softening the blow of owning a minivan in the first place. I thought Toyota had 2nd nicest interior, but Honda had bit more utility, better driving experience. In the end, we were shopping the Sienna and Odyssey, but Toyota wouldnt really deal on a lease. Tried a few different dealerships and Odyssey EX-L with RES still came out significantly cheaper to lease than a Sienna XLE with DVD. So that solved our dilemma for us.
I do like the Odyssey, have already taken it on multi hour trip. Kids love it. Much easier to lug 3 kids and stuff around than in our Ford Flex that we turned in. I think we got a reasonable price on it, but there are some aspects of the interior that feel cheap, such as the extensive use of faux aluminum bits that really just look like grey plastic. I wish automakers would nix faux aluminum from their parts bin, its not fooling anyone. A real gear indicator on the actual shifter would be nice rather than a sticker even though it is indicated on the display. Minor touch. Better intagration of the door tracks would also be nice, other manufacturers are managing it, but I suspect the lightening bolt effect of the side profile may prevent a hidden track. But here is my largest complaint, almost gives me buyer's remorse. No fog lights on a $38k car?? WTF. No Roof Rails?? No HID headlights??? A few other minor oversights on the equipment list is very bothersome. I realize that some of these are available as dealer installed accessories, but these things should be standard at this price point in my humble opinion. Its just another example of nickle and diming us to death.
Overall, I am pleased with the vehicle, decent price, would like a little more equipment as standard.
#8 of 22 Ground clearance
by nathang
Jan 20, 2012 (8:53 am)
I've been going back and forth between the Honda and Toyota for the past month. The Odyssey seemed to be the winner with better fuel efficiency, a better ride, I actually like the exterior look and the interior felt roomier and of higher quality. I WAS leaning that way even though I am a bit disappointed in the lack of options (no back-up cam on EX and no roof rails on any) and the Honda salespeople are annoyingly over confident and not very knowledgeable about their product.
The Sienna on the other had did have some nice options on the LE including AWD, roof rails and backup cams. Their price is much is better (though my insurance company charges more for the Sienna than a comparable Odyssey) and the salesperson at Toyota could actually answer my questions.
The real kicker for me now is the GROUND CLEARANCE! Our family may not be the norm, but we do take our Vans on road trips, camping, dirt roads, snowy roads(sometimes) and our driveway. Our 2001 Odyssey has 6.5 inches of clearance which for most cases is enough, barely. The new Odyssey has lowered that to 4.5 (which was a hard number to come by and not well advertised). Sienna is at 6.5.
So my question is, has anyone had trouble with Ground Clearance? 4.5 inches doesn't seem like much especially when we're fully laden with bikes, racks and oh yes, kids! And NO I'm not interested in some big SUV, just a van that can do it ALL!!!
#9 of 22 2nd/3rd row better on Ody
by su_a_ve
Jan 23, 2012 (2:46 pm)
Been looking at the Sienna XLE and the Odyseey EX-L. Some cons on the Sienna were the 2nd row middle seat can't become a console/arm rest. You have to take it out (and put it in the hole in the back) and use their floor console. Seats felt narrower than the Ody, however there was a lot more leg room on the Sienna. I think if you have a child on a car seat, you can literally stand in front of the seat.
Another neg was the console - the rear view camera is a small 3" screen vs the 8" on the Ody.
Both test drove nice however. We got an Ody in the end.
#10 of 22 Ride??
by lw11
Jan 30, 2012 (10:37 am)
Getting rid of an 01 Ody, so looking at both of these - Ody and Sienna. Test drove an LE and LE AWD and both had a constant road feel through the seats. Our 01 actually rides smoother. All the reviews say the sienna rides great but I didn't feel like that. Roads in Indiana are not great so the ride is important. I am looking for others' impressions. Thanks.
#11 of 22 Re: 2011/2012 Odyssey EXL Vs Sienna XLE [quizzer]
by woodchuckhd
Feb 20, 2012 (9:21 pm)
I have not made up my mind which one I will buy but I am pretty sure it will be the Sienna. I have owned several Honda's and was sure I would buy an Odyssey. Here are the reasons.
The ground clearance is too low on the Honda. I believe it is only 4.5 inches but it is difficult to find out if that is correct because Honda will not publish the clearance. Go to Honda.com and compare let's say the CRV, Pilot and Odyssey. Notice they give you the ground clearance on the CRV and Pilot but not on the Odyssey. Originally it was on their web site but they pulled it off. I believe they pulled it off because some people are bottoming out the front end under certain conditions. I do not have a link handy to problems I found.
Whether or not you plan to tow anything you should know the Honda towing package will cost you about $1500 (about $950 for parts and the rest for dealer installation). The Sienna comes standard with a heavy duty transmission cooler and I believe also a heavy duty radiator). Part of the cost on the Honda is for a heavy duty transmission cooler. With all the transmission problems Honda has had, I wonder if their transmissions would last longer if they ran cooler (especially in Arizona and other hot places).
I know three people who have over 100k miles on their Sienna with zero problems. I know two Odyssey owners including my son who have had transmission and other problems within 100K miles.
The only thing I do not like about the Sienna is that when you take out the second row seats, the roller mechanism for the seats remains in the car so you do not have a completely flat floor in that area.
Woodchukhd
Feb 20, 2012 (9:25 pm)
If you buy the AWD Sienna, you do not have a spare tire because they use 'run flat' tires. A set of new tires will cost you about $1600. I was told you can only buy those tires from Toyota.
The insulation under the AWD might not be as good as a FWD since they run a drive shaft underneath.
Woodchuckhd